By Blake Dowson
Peter Jok took the opportunity in his return to Iowa’s starting lineup to blend in as just one of the guys, and a balanced scoring effort led the Hawkeyes (14-10, 6-5 Big Ten) to a win over Nebraska, 81-70, on Sunday afternoon in front of 13,000 in Carver-Hawkeye.
Jok received a warm welcome back — a loud ovation when he was announced in the starting lineup and an even louder cheer when he made his first basket, almost 14 minutes into the first half. The senior’s first game back was productive — though unspectacular — with 12 points, 8 coming from the line.
“I am so proud of him,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “Five assists, 5 rebounds, made his free throws down the stretch. They’re top blocking him, chasing him everywhere. He had a couple looks, I’m sure he’s frustrated they didn’t go in. But I thought his shot selection was really terrific, really efficient.”
Brady Ellingson took no backseat to Jok; he had another exceptional game coming off the bench.
The junior from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, has become a go-to player over the past three games for the Hawkeyes, averaging almost 12 points and shooting 63 percent from the field (12-19) and 71 percent from behind the 3-point line (10-14).
He’s also dished out 13 assists in that stretch without turning the ball over.
“He’s smart. He’s tough. He’s cerebral,” McCaffery said. “He can play any one of three spots. He knows exactly where to go, where to line up every time. He’s a much underrated defender.”
Ellingson has undoubtedly shown up on more scouting reports in the past two weeks than ever in his career, and he said after the game he could tell a difference.
“Every time I walk down by their bench, they’re always yelling ‘shooter’ and whatnot,” Ellingson said. “That’s expected now. I just have to stay patient and hunt for my shot.”
Freshmen Tyler Cook and Jordan Bohannon joined Jok and Ellingson in double figures for Iowa. Cook’s left-handed hook shot got hot at the beginning of the second half, and he ended up with 13 points. Bohannon led Iowa with 15.
“I just came out more aggressive in the second half,” Cook said. “I noticed they were kind of [relaxed] off the ball, so I just tried to take advantage of that.”
Ahmad Wagner and Cordell Pemsl added 6 points each, and Dom Uhl and Nicholas Baer both knocked down 7 points.
It was the same balanced scoring effort that has happened throughout the three-game winning streak, though Jok became a part of it against Nebraska.
There were moments of uncertainty in the first half, when the ball wasn’t moving well and ended up in Jok’s hands at the end of the shot clock. The second half was a different story, however, as Jok fit into an offense that produced 84 points per game without him.
Iowa ended up assisting on 22 of its 27 baskets and committed only 11 turnovers, four on charging calls.
The unselfishness and attention to detail have the Hawkeyes rolling and in sole possession of sixth place in the Big Ten.
“Personally, I think this is the best [ball movement] we’ve had,” Cook said. “We’re unselfish. From one to 15, we’re unselfish, we’re moving the ball from side to side and finding open guys. So it’s been fun to watch and play with.”
The Hawkeyes will need to be clicking on all cylinders in order to come away victorious and add a huge win to boost their tournament résumé.
“Obviously, we’re going to have to bring a big defensive game; they’re scoring 80 points per game and they’re 11-0 on their home court,” Bluder said. “They’ve got three outstanding scorers. They have a 6-5 center, but Megan doesn’t shy away from that, but they are shooting the 3-ball very, very well, and we are going to need great 3-point defense against them at their place.”
